I remember the moment I laid eyes on the woman with her hair put up under an ascot cap. We were both in a bar called The Whig in downtown Columbia, S.C. Our church used social events like this to draw in people who would not grace the doorway of a church building. We were there with separate groups who attended the same church. As I was introduced …

While living with my parents, sometime in early teens, we attended one of the oldest churches in the south. We'd dress in our Sunday finest, traverse the winding country roads, and find “our pew.” After a few stares from my parents, a pinch or two under the thigh, and some monotone words from the pulpit, we were free. The church would empty and we’…

For Thanksgivings in Homer I have been labeled the Mac n Cheese guy, according to my family. I have become the authority on noodles, spices, and cheese. Rightfully so, although I make it a little different than Pauline, my grandmother, it’s pretty delicious. For a few hours on Thursday morning I spend my time at the stove stirring a pot of delightf…

Does anyone know what the bicyclist hand motions actually mean? I feel like blinkers are commonly understood and fairly self-explanatory; left side, left turn, right side, right turn. But despite my many years of experience on the road, I still don’t know what the left arm, straight out at the shoulder, bent 90 degrees at the elbow and hanging down…

If you’re over the age of 30, you’ve probably done the limbo. Or at least tried. The once party favorite has slowly faded from public life but I remember a time when the Limbo ruled social events of all kinds. Yes, I did it too. Honestly, even the recollection of what was required of my back muscles to get under that crossbar makes me hurt today. A…

When life gives you lemons… I guess you're supposed to slice those lemons, squeeze those lemons, filter out the seeds, add water and plenty of sugar, mix in a pitcher with some ice, pour it into a glass and DRINK LEMONADE! It is a very practical bit of advice about turning something bad into something good, even something delightfully refreshing. T…

Spring 1999. I was walking down the hall of my parents ranch home, past the collage of pictures on the wall and a feeling of dread fell over me. My plans for the coming year had fallen through. I would graduate high school in a couple of months, with no real plan for the next chapter of my life. Everyone I knew seemed to have it together, plans for…

It was November and I was in the Philippines enjoying the beginning of the cool season and the end of the rainy season. In Manila, cool temps are in the high 70’s and low 80’s and November is when the monsoon rains subside and the season turns toward the dry and cool part of the year. On that day the temps were tolerable but scattered rain showers …

It's the dead of night. The wind is still and Jesus is bowed on the ground. The silence can be cut with a knife as the trees of the garden stand still. His tears have covered the ground beneath Him, tinged red by the blood they contain. As he stands, his knees feel feeble from the exertion poured out seeking His Father. He moves towards the discipl…

During my initial foray into the home construction realm, I had the pleasure of being invited to the open house of a very nice home that I helped to build over the course of a few months. To my 18-year-old eyes, this particular home was dressed to impress. The highlight of my tour through the home was the “home theater” room. Yes. A whole room of t…

My dad loves fishing! In the south, fishing looks a little bit different than here in Alaska. Back home, fishing is grabbing a cooler, a bucket of crickets, a lawn chair, and rod and hanging out on the edge of a pond back in the woods. My dad was and still is a little more serious, waking up in the wee hours of the morning and putting the bass boat…

I have a very distinct memory related to my life as a young blonde Alaskan of German-Norwegian descent amidst a literal sea of dark-skinned, black-haired Filipinos. Growing up overseas in the city of Manila forced a superficial but sharp contrast of appearances that triggered an existential question in my young brain: “Why am I like me and not like…

I recently found a corner of a rock at the edge of my property. This had happened before and I’d dug up a decent sized rock to use in landscaping around the house. This particular rock proved to be quite difficult to move. As I dug deeper, the rock revealed itself to be more of a boulder in size. What I thought would be a quick project turned into …

I am so thankful for our church. So many of you have encouraged me. So many of you have built up my faith. So many of you have pointed me toward Christ through your own faithful pursuit of Him. It is such an awe-inspiring thing to be in true community with each other and to experience a fellowship that is built on the foundation of God’s love for u…

I spent a while in the woods recently. The woods has been a wonderful place for me to sit and think, especially when the moose are quietly napping and minding their own business. The woods where we hunt is far beyond the reach of cellular service which, as it turns out, is also beneficial toward the goal of reflecting on my life and relationships. …

One of our kids got their blood drawn this week at a Dr’s appointment. I anticipated my wife returning with a story of rebellion. After the check up her words were “killed it." I am thankful that I didn’t have to attend the doctor’s visit. Over the years I have increasingly grown uncomfortable at the thought of blood, other people's blood isn't as …

Church on the Rockers, What do Peter, Rocky, Elle, Rudy, Jamal, Forrest, and Samwise all have in common? They are the underdogs of the story. (Bonus points if you can name the movie they’re in) They are the unlikely characters who come out on top at the end of the story line. The below average men and women of the story who are seen as unintelligen…

When we are full of Holy Spirit, love, faith and power there is no room for fear, because the perfect love of God casts out fear. When we know our assignment from God, and know who are, we become unstoppable…even in the face of flying stones. In Acts 6-7, Stephen and six other apostles are chosen, blessed and sent to meet the needs of a church that…

Most men can relate to the following scenario. You’re working on a project, maybe doing some home repair and you come to a part of the project that requires a particular tool. Maybe the tool has more power, reach, or a specific niche purpose. When we come to this point, we make one of two decisions. Either we take the cheap route and use what is av…

I fell and hit my head last night. I took my two younger kids out to the homestead to do some evening dolly fishing. We parked the truck, grabbed a couple rods and a bottle of mosquito dope, and hiked up the trail to our favorite fishing spot. As I was walking along the trail, three fishing rods in my hand, I tripped on a root and fell forward. My …

Let me paint the picture for you! It’s 97º and you’re sitting on a wrap around screened porch in a white rocking chair. The warm breeze rustles in the leaves of a 100 year old oak, squarely in the middle of the horseshoe driveway. Grandma’s crystal pitcher is full of iced lemonade with large lemon circles. You can hear the ice clinking the crystal …

Jesus, the one for whom and by whom I was created, has good intentions for me and intends for me to secure a grand reward that will be enjoyed for all of eternity. The greatest threat to my ability to lay hold of the reward that he has reserved for me is my own flesh. But Jesus, in His wisdom, decided not to rest my opportunities on the foundation …

“But, how?” That is the question that I have been asked several times since teaching this past Sunday. And it is a question I have asked many times myself. I urge you some caution as you ask this. Many ask this as a rhetorical thought experiment without any real intent to find the answer and to live the answer. Last Sunday I talked about the wide a…

In this message, we examine what I consider to be one of the most troubling passages in all of scripture. I say this fully understanding that ungodly fear has no place in the Christian life. I say this fully understanding that Christ does not intend for me to feel unstable and uncertain of His love for me. With that said, here are the troubling wor…

Some PEOPLE! Some people’s KIDS! We say these phrases jokingly, but often behind the joking is a sentiment of criticism. Every man and woman has a sense of right and wrong, which becomes their moral compass. It is not quite clear to me why, but that compass becomes the standard to which we hold all others. We judge without thinking and it comes so …

God wants to set your heart free of everything that is contrary to love. This week we move into the end of Matthew 6 and examine the ways that fear wrecks our lives and drives us away from God. Here is my confession: I have, for many years, been largely unaware of the way that fear rules in my own heart and drives my behavior. Honestly, I didn’t se…

As we continue in our Sermon on the Mount series and will examine the comparison between pride and love. Pride takes on a different shape in light of faith and trust in Christ and this weekend we look at what Jesus says about our efforts to be seen and acknowledged by men vs God. Pastor Matthew McCarter…

I still remember the day when I realized I did not want to be married anymore. My relationship with Jenny had been so gratifying and satisfying up until that point. But a couple of years into marriage and our selfish tendencies were degrading our capacity for meaningful intimacy. We could no longer mask our issues. What had been a fun friendship wa…

“God is working even when we don’t see it!!” This week I posted that message on our Facebook page. God has been reminding me of His power and wisdom and control over the happenings in our lives. Remembering that powerful message can really help us in times of struggle and persecution. In baseball my father always taught me to keep my eye on the bal…

“I pity the fool!” Can you see it? The mohawk! The gold chains! The black van with the red accent! Mr. T’s line was a mainstay during the A Team series. I had not realized until this week that Mr. T’s statement is an oxymoron. Mr. T did not pity anyone, in fact, he did exactly the opposite of pitying his enemies, he delivered justice with brute wra…

Some of the most painful losses I have experienced in this life have been losses mostly suffered in silence. Not every loss, but many of them. This grief is one you are probably familiar with, mourning over the life that could have been. Hopes unrealized. Faded friendships. Love lost. Dreams forfeited. Surprise hardships. As a follower of Jesus, so…

Finish the sentence, I’ll have the good life when… I truly believe that one of Satan’s greatest deceptions is to fool us into comparing our lives to some future reality that may not ever come. We practice this deception by entertaining the thought that when this season passes, life will be good. When I don’t have to change diapers anymore, life wil…

While there are many hero's of the faith, few stand as tall as the one I call my mama. This Sunday I have the honor and privilege of inviting my own mother onto the stage at Church on the Rock. As far as mothering goes, she has mothered with the best of ‘em! For those who don’t know, I am the third of thirteen kids and my children are eight of the …

Someone recently said to me “I just always thought there were the good people and the bad people and I was one of the bad people.” Are you still struggling under the burden of failure or the burden of proving their own goodness? Are you still struggling to see the goodness of God as displayed by the cross? Then this message is for you. Pastor Dr. A…

Is it too soon to talk about Christmas? My son has asked several times in the last week if we can put the tree up again. I don’t think he’s mentioned it to my wife or it would be up again already. How often is it during a holiday season that you forget to intentionally connect with the purpose of the holiday? Thanksgiving is about tryptophan and na…

Have you ever painfully watched as someone in charge got it all wrong? Ever had a supervisor care intensely about all the wrong things while neglecting what was important? Ever watched someone in power exercise that power in wasteful ways and miss the opportunity to bring about meaningful change? Ever had someone with the power to make a decision o…

When is the last time you got knocked off your feet with an illness? Mine was about a year ago, after a couple of days without improvement I headed to the Doc, only to find out that I just had a virus and needed to wait it out. As I get older, there more and more comes a period where the recovery process turns from helpful to painful. My body stiff…

Pastor Aaron Weisser dissects Jesus' conversation with the woman at the well and the miracle of God's grace.

Do you remember the first time you heard some old man tell you that life gets faster as you get older? How about the statement that life is too short? The best things in life, money can’t buy? Are you old enough now to know the truth of those statements? For most of us there is an initial disbelief when the aged and wise come along and share their …

Pastor Aaron Weisser takes a look at the justice of God in an unjust world, the purpose of God when my life is in chaos, and the ways of God when everything has gone south.

Pastor Matt McCarter examines John the Baptist's testimony regarding the greatness of Jesus.

This past Sunday we began the series, Greater. Pastor Aaron Weisser gave us a look into the testimony of John the Baptist concerning the man Jesus.

This Sunday, Pastor Matt McCarter talked about the role of hospitality in the gospel and our church. Jesus has set an example of being hospitable and is calling us to do the same, for our joy and His glory!

Church on the Rockers, Somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 years ago, I went with several of my family members and some friends to the Araneta Colosseum in Cubao, the transportation center of the metroplex that is Manila in the Philippines. We were there with tickets to see Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant live at the Colosseum. It was amazing. I don…

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that you’re as excited about the loud bright lights exploding over the spit as I am. This season has so much joy to offer us, we often don’t want it to end…until realizing our pants don’t fit anymore! This year I heard more people say that the temptation to enjoy sweet treats was irresistible. The holida…

Church on the Rockers,Merry Christmas to each of you. For many of you, this is the season of giving gifts. I think I have picked a winner for my wife this year. I think. We’ll see. And why do we give gifts? It is so easy to forget. We give gifts in honor of the greatest gift and the greatest gift giver, the Son of God. A few weeks from now, you may…

I’ve witnessed several eclipses and every time I find it odd that while the sun is being blocked by the moon, we have to wear sunglasses. If the sun rays are directed at me, why must I be shielded from them? It only takes a few seconds to figure of a staring out why. It’s impossible, even only for a few moments to stare at something so bright. As J…

Pastor Matt McCarter shares about God's perfect and incomprehensible plan to save humanity.

Pastor Dr. Aaron Weisser examines the prophetic expectation of the coming Savior. What we will find, is the realest and truest representation of God that mankind has ever encountered. These truths are impacting my own life even today!

Pastor Matt McCarter shares this past Sunday's message. That God sent us His Son to navigate our way through the waves, chaos, and heartbreak, back into His presence. He is our guide, our Great High Priest.